Alex Frew McMillan

Hong Kong

Writer at The Street

Writer, personal trainer, editor, tennis player, reporter, snowboarder, scuba diver and long-standing Hong Konger

Articles

Nippon Steel’s Deal for U.S. Steel Should Never Have Been Blocked

1 week ago | pro.thestreet.com | Alex Frew McMillan

The Nippon Steel (NPSCY) (T:5401) deal to acquire U.S. Steel (X) is finally done. But the US$14.9 billion buyout should never have been blocked in the first place. And it’s concluded with one of the oddest stipulations in merger history. The deal wrapped up Wednesday, ending an 18-month saga in which politics played a far greater role than common business sense. Both companies and their boards wanted the deal to proceed. It makes eminent sense for it to conclude.
Investors Should Watch These 'Improvers' in Global Automaker Rankings

1 week ago | pro.thestreet.com | Alex Frew McMillan

Chinese automakers already have a healthy head start when it comes to the production of zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) including electric vehicles (EVs). But it is a gap with their competitors that they are extending, according to a new report. Chinese dominance in the EV field has come as a result both of China’s strong position in battery making and government policy to stimulate the sector. Chinese producers now sell 11 million EVs each year, more than half the global total.
Alternative matters: Which alternative property sectors offer the best risk-adjusted returns, and where?

2 weeks ago | irei.com | Alex Frew McMillan

We are likely at a historic moment when it comes to allocations to alternative property sectors. Interest runs high, there’s a sudden influx of investment from open-end funds with deep wells of capital, and index providers are expanding their definitions in a way that allows greater flexibility to add alternative exposure. The signs point to rent gains and capital appreciation. But alternatives also require specialist expertise, certainly to operate, but also for investors to evaluate.
China Casts Doubt on Trump’s “Done” Trade Deal

2 weeks ago | pro.thestreet.com | Alex Frew McMillan

There’s been a tepid reaction in Asia to claims from U.S. President Donald Trump that a U.S.-China trade deal is “done.” A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Lin Jian, was quizzed on Thursday about Trump’s claim that the United States has reached a deal with China in which China will supply rare-earth minerals.
Can Nintendo Snap 'Hit-and-Miss' Console Track Record With Switch 2?

3 weeks ago | pro.thestreet.com | Alex Frew McMillan

Nintendo (NTDOY) (T:7974), one of Japan’s best-known and oldest brands, is looking to shake a reputation for following up a hit gaming console with a dud, as it releases the Switch 2. It is also contending with rising supply costs for materials to make the systems, rising tariffs at customs, and rising production costs at video-game studios, which have experienced a string of layoffs in the last couple of years.
Beleaguered Hong Kong Developer’s Massive Debt Burden Alarms Investors

3 weeks ago | pro.thestreet.com | Alex Frew McMillan

Hong Kong property giant New World Development (NDVLY) (HK:0017) has seen a bounce in its beleaguered shares Tuesday, reclaiming some of the ground lost Monday, as investors worry the Hong Kong developer will escape default despite its HK$210.9 billion (US$26.9 billion) debt burden. The fate of New World has driven Hong Kong stocks the past few days amid the company’s unsuccessful attempts to renegotiate its massive debt load.
Asian Exporters Jump as Court Shoots Down Trump Tariffs (for Now)

1 month ago | pro.thestreet.com | Alex Frew McMillan

It’s green virtually across the screen today as Asian markets welcome the U.S. court decision ruling that U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs overstep the mark. A U.S. trade court delivered a sweeping ruling late on Wednesday that Trump’s worldwide, retaliatory tariffs “exceed any authority” granted to the president by U.S. federal law. The U.S. Court of International Trade ruled that the tariffs aren’t justified as a response to an economic national emergency.
BYD Speeds Ahead in Chinese EV Race With Extreme Price Cuts

1 month ago | pro.thestreet.com | Alex Frew McMillan

It’s a second day of struggle for the shares of electric vehicle makers in Hong Kong today, after market-share leader BYD (BYDDY) (HK:1211) launched a full-on blitz in the price war inside China. BYD has slashed prices on 22 EV and hybrid models by as much as a third. The discounts will run until June, helping the company shift older stock now that it pledges to introduce its driver-assist function even on its cheapest models.
Did U.S. Stock Market Share Just Peak?

1 month ago | pro.thestreet.com | Alex Frew McMillan

Did we just reach the peak for the “American exceptionalism” trade? It appears likely that U.S. equities hit their all-time peak share of the MSCI All Country World Index at the end of last year. On December 24, to be precise, when U.S. equities made up 67.2% of the index, as Christopher Wood notes in his latest Greed & Fear report. Since then, the U.S. share has slipped to 63.7% as of the end of last month.
Largest Stock Listing of 2025 Shocks With Strong Start While Shunning U.S. Investors

1 month ago | pro.thestreet.com | Alex Frew McMillan

The largest stock offering worldwide so far this year is off to a strong start in Hong Kong, as lithium-ion battery maker CATL (HK:3750) (SZ:300750) sees shares bounce as much as 18%. CATL, which counts Tesla (TSLA) among a long customer list for its electric-vehicle (EV) batteries, has raised as much as $5.2 billion (or $41.0 billion in Hong Kong dollars) with today’s offering in Hong Kong. It now has a market capitalization equivalent to $172 billion.